Designing Healthy, Net Zero-Ready Homes at Longshaw Drive

At Longshaw Drive in Salford, the ambition was simple: create homes that are not only sustainable, but genuinely support the health, wellbeing and long-term affordability of the people who live in them. 

Now, with the first phase being occupied for over 12 months, the £38 million development for Salford City Council is already demonstrating what that looks like in practice. 

Healthy homes through performance and affordability
The new neighbourhood delivers 177 high-quality homes, ranging from one- and two-bedroom apartments to two- to five-bedroom family houses - within a fully tenure-blind neighbourhood. 

At Longshaw Drive, a mix of Passivhaus Classic and Passivhaus Low Energy homes has been delivered, creating a healthy and sustainable neighbourhood. These homes help residents keep energy costs low, maintain comfortable and consistent indoor temperatures throughout the year, and benefit from excellent indoor air quality.

Importantly, performance targets have been slightly exceeded:

A key part of achieving this performance was the use of the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) throughout the design process. This allowed the team to test ideas, refine decisions and stay on track at every stage.

In practice, that meant:

•    Predicting energy use early and accurately
•    Continuously checking performance as the design evolved
•    Ensuring the homes would perform as intended once built

This kind of rigour is essential if net zero housing is going to work in reality, not just on paper.

Designing within real-world constraints
Passivhaus wasn’t part of the original brief, and by the time it was introduced, the layout of the site was already fixed. That meant not every home could achieve the ideal south-facing orientation typically required for Passivhaus Classic.

Rather than forcing a compromise, the team took a pragmatic approach, with some plots optimised to reach Passivhaus Classic, and others were designed to meet Passivhaus Low Energy.

Keeping it simple: form and fabric
One of the biggest drivers of performance is simplicity. A “fabric-first” approach focused on the building itself before adding technology.

At Longshaw Drive homes are arranged in terraces and semi-detached blocks which reduces the external surface area and limits heat loss, whereby overly complex forms and unnecessary detailing were avoided. The result is a development that is both efficient and buildable.

Achieved U-values:

This approach supports the Truly Affordable Net Zero (TANZ) Sustainability Standards, Greater Manchester's framework for delivering affordable, net-zero homes, aligned with the Places for Everyone planning policies and the city's 2038 net-zero target.

Getting the basics right
Airtightness plays a huge role in how a home performs, and feels. At Longshaw Drive, the strategy included:

•    Continuous airtight layers wrapping entire rows of homes
•    Service voids to keep wiring and fittings away from the airtight membrane
•    Simplified detailing to reduce risks during construction

Windows were carefully considered, balancing performance with how people actually use their homes. This included larger windows on south-facing elevations to capture heat, smaller openings to the north to minimise losses, and triple glazing throughout.

Importantly, all windows can be opened. While some Passivhaus designs limit this, here it was seen as essential—supporting both occupant comfort and everyday habits. It’s a small decision that makes a big difference to how people feel about their homes.

Good ventilation is central to creating healthy spaces. Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems provide a constant flow of fresh, filtered air, reduce condensation and damp, and improve overall indoor comfort. Integrating these systems into the design, particularly in terraced homes, required careful coordination, but ensures they work effectively without impacting the appearance of the buildings.

Solar PV panels have been installed across the scheme, particularly on Passivhaus Classic homes, helping to reduce operational energy use.

Combined with the highly efficient building fabric, the path to net zero is clear:

1.    Reduce demand through good design
2.    Use low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps
3.    Generate renewable energy on site

Because the homes already use very little energy, achieving net zero becomes much more realistic - and more affordable.

A place to live, not just a place to stay
Healthy neighbourhoods extend beyond the buildings themselves.

At Longshaw Drive, equal attention has been given to the wider placemaking strategy, creating active and welcoming streets, strong connections to the surrounding community, and a development that integrates comfortably with existing neighbourhoods.

The tenure-blind design further supports a balanced and inclusive community, ensuring that social sustainability sits alongside environmental performance.

A practical model for net zero living
Longshaw Drive demonstrates that achieving net zero is not about a single innovation or technology. Success comes from combining intelligent design, high-performance construction and a deep understanding of how people live.

The result is a neighbourhood of homes that are:

•    Comfortable and healthy
•    Affordable to run
•    Low carbon in operation
•    Future-ready

As Greater Manchester continues to drive forward its Truly Affordable Net Zero housing ambitions, Longshaw Drive provides a compelling example of what can be achieved when sustainability, practicality, and people are placed at the centre of design. It is not simply a housing development - it is a blueprint for the future of residential living.

Images credit: Seddon